Occupational pesticide exposure and the risk of death in patients with Parkinson’s disease: an observational study in southern Brazil

Abstract

Background: Multiple studies have suggested that various pesticides are associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD) and may influence the progression of the disease. However, the evidence regarding the impact of pesticide exposure on mortality among patients with PD is equivocal. This study examines whether pesticide exposure influences the risk of mortality among patients with PD in Southern Brazil. Methods: A total of 150 patients with idiopathic PD were enrolled from 2008 to 2013 and followed until 2019. In addition to undergoing a detailed neurologic evaluation, patients completed surveys regarding socioeconomic status and environmental exposures. Results: Twenty patients (13.3%) reported a history of occupational pesticide exposure with a median duration of exposure of 10 years (mean = 13.1, SD = 11.2). Patients with a history of occupational pesticide exposure had higher UPDRS-III scores, though there were no significant differences in regards to age, sex, disease duration, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and age at symptom onset. Patients with occupational pesticide exposure were more than twice as likely to die than their unexposed PD counterparts (HR = 2.32, 95% CI [1.15, 4.66], p = 0.018). Occupational pesticide exposure was also a significant predictor of death in a cox-proportional hazards model which included smoking and caffeine intake history (HR = 2.23, 95% CI [1.09, 4.59], p = 0.03)) and another which included several measures of socioeconomic status (HR = 3.91, 95% CI [1.32, 11.58], p = 0.01). Conclusion: In this prospective cohort study, we found an increased all-cause mortality risk in PD patients with occupational exposure to pesticides. More studies are needed to further analyze this topic with longer follow-up periods, more detailed exposure information, and more specific causes of mortality.

Impact of Pesticides on Human Health in the Last Six Years in Brazil

“…Numerous in vivo studies (reviewed by Disner et al [ 77 ]) have recursively proven that exposure to pesticides, either isolated or in combination [ 78 ], affect human health due to their actions as carcinogens [ 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 ], neurotoxicants [ 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 ], endocrine disruptors, developmental toxicants [ 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 ], and metabolic toxicants [ 93 , 94 ].…”

Cyanotoxins and the Nervous System

“…Although unknown for exposure to guanitoxin, long-term exposure to some organophosphates has been linked to the development of cancer in farmers including bladder, prostate, kidney and lung cancer [ 105 ]. Given that organophosphates have been linked to both PD [ 106 , 107 , 108 ] and ALS [ 109 , 110 ], it is plausible that guanitoxin may exhibit chronic effects at relatively low concentrations. Moreover, certain organophosphates can induce a form of neurotoxicity, known as organophosphate-induced delayed polyneuropathy (OPIDP) [ 111 ].…”

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of multi‐residual pesticides in blood

“…OPs prevent acetylcholinesterase from degrading acetylcholine, which causes acetylcholine to accumulate in the central nervous and peripheral nervous systems [5]. A high concentration of acetylcholine is thought to be responsible for the intense cholinergic effects that may include muscle weakness, muscle twitching, sensory and behavioral disturbances (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's) [6], motor function impairments, and respiratory depression (EPA 2013) [7]. Previous studies have reported several methods for the detection of pesticides, immunoassay [8,9], electrochemiluminescence biosensor [10,11], gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) [12,13], and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) [14,15].…”